Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Jordan Hulls.

Indiana’s point guard play a season ago was, for the most part, a disaster. A quick scan of Ken Pomeroy’s rankings shows the Hoosiers ranked 342 out of 344 DI teams in turnover percentage.

Turnover percentage, for those of you unfamiliar with it in Pomeroy terms, is simply the number of turnovers a team commits divided by its number of possessions. Indiana’s number was 26.4%. Only Arkansas Pine Bluff and the NJ Institute of Technology were worse. Yikes.

And while he will likely begin the season as the backup to junior transfer Jeremiah Rivers, the arrival of Jordan Hulls to the backcourt should help bring relief to IU’s turnover problem. At first glance, nothing about Hulls screams Big Ten caliber point guard. Perhaps that’s why he was regarded as a mid-major prospect before emerging onto the national scene in the spring of 2008.

A year and a half and an undefeated Mr. Basketball senior season at Bloomington South later, Hulls is a key piece to IU’s 2009 recruiting class and will be expected to contribute immediately. There’s plenty to love about his game. His ball handling, leadership and passing are all Big Ten ready. His shot, which is not the prettiest from a mechanical stand point, goes in. He can be, at times, unstoppable off the pick and roll. If a defender hedges out, he’ll find an open man. And if left open, he’ll maneuver his way to the basket or knock down a jump shot.

The biggest question marks? Strength and defense. Tom Crean said last spring that Hulls will need to continue improving his strength to compete in the Big Ten. Defensively, he does an excellent job holding his own against quicker, stronger and taller players by being smart. But at just under 6-0, matchup problems will arise from time to time.

Bottom Line: Hulls will see more than a fair share of minutes and his competitiveness will quickly endear him to Indiana fans. His effort is at the same level each time he takes the court and while he likely won’t fill the stat sheet as a freshman, the intangibles he brings from a leadership perspective will be a huge positive.

Quotable: “That kid never accepted that he wasn’t a college player, or that he might be a Division II player, and that he might be a low-major player, and that he might be a mid-major player. I don’t think he ever accepted that. Something’s telling me that kid always had his sights set pretty high.” – Crean on Hulls.

I would love if Crean would redshirt Hulls. Hulls as a fifth year senior is infinitely more valuable to that team than Hulls as a true freshman is to this team. But every word I see written about the kid says it isn't going to happen.

IUKYLE94

I think if the coaching staff thought a redshirt would be good for Hulls, they would do it. VJIII and Rivers can play the spot and if need be spelled by Moore. I'm not exactly sure how it can be projected right now that Hulls as a 5th yr senior would be infinitely more valuable to the team.

JerryCT

I can see both ideas but redshirting will not help us now. I love VJ3 and predicted last year he would outplay Roth and could become the next Devin Harris.However, unless VJ3 is a much different player he is NOT a good point guard as yet. He has not shown he can defend quick opposition, starts the offense too slowly with his back to bucket, not a great passer, not as skilled as Hulls on the pick and roll, not a quick ball handler.

We need to win some games to improve recruiting etc. Hulls, if he is as good as advertised, is sorely needed running our offense.

Ryan_T

I'm not sure what makes you guys think VJ3 as point guard is a good idea. “The Hoosiers ranked 342 out of 344 DI teams in turnover percentage,” and VJ3 was half the cause of that being at point guard. Yes, I'm sure he's improved, but there's no way you'd expect Crean to redshirt Hulls when we're in desperate need of solid ball-handling abilities on this team.

GFDave

I expect that, at least initially, Rivers will be the primary ball handler and that Hulls will be his backup. If Hulls' play demands more minutes, I can see Rivers sliding over to the 2 spot such that they would both be on the floor together. I definitely see VJ3 and Dumes as non-point guards, so we'll need both Rivers and Hulls to play well this season.

NC HOOSIER

Hulls is gritty/gutty. Plain and simple…He is a winner. That is someone I want on my team everytime. They find a way to get it done; rather than making excuses as to why it didn’t happen

Huna

Where do you monday am QBs get your perspective? What color is the sky in your world?Hulls is a stellar leader with awesome skills. While with B'ton South, he led them to victories against higher ranked players and he kicked ass. He is a Damon Bailey-like catalyst and will be a key player this year.

Tootles

Mo

Historically, Hulls would be redshirted in a progam like IU. Maybe even Roth and Dumes are not on the team. We have always had our share of big guys who were projects. Many eventually able to contribute by their Junior year. We really have Purdue type talent on this IU team. Good coaching and highly motivated players will make this group fun to watch. CTC is doing a great job and not sure how long he can keep it up. I predict 16 wins.

stevealford

I don’t understand the philosophy of redshirting Hulls. The only other point guard we have is Rivers. Hulls will get significant playing time and could be starting by the end of the year. He is a flat out stud. I would rather redshirt Bawa if he ever becomes eligible. He is so unpolished, he needs it, but then again I guess that would put us on the hook for his scholarship for another year.

Kelin Blab

Ok, I am willing to listen can someone tell me why we should redshirt J. Hulls………Here is why we should not….

1. He is one of TWO pure point guards on the team2. He is a kid who can affect the game without scoring3. He is a winner a winner a winner.4. The kid has a high basketball IQ. Not sure who said but, I remember reading Hulls runs the pick and roll better than anyone on the team….

We have absolutely no reason to redshirt the kid, I have seen him play against Teague and Little Ray and more than held his own……or lit them up.

I had my doubts about Jordan Hulls. However, he is the real deal, a great young man and the type of player IU must always recruit.

tg1438

I am completely against redshirting Hulls! He is exactly what you would label as a pure point guard. A guy who effects the game at a high level without necessarily scoring a lot of points. He will contribute assists (and help others with assists by getting them the ball with an opportunity to pass to a scorer), steals (on and off the ball he will use his IQ to get tips), rebounds (he will fundamentally box out and get long boards), hustle, and leadership. He may never lead IU in any of these categories, but he will consistently effects the game in all of these categories. I can't wait until the JOR-DAN HUL-LS!!! chants to start!

JerryCT

Actually I think you can establish clear conditions for when a redshirt makes sense: 1) an injury that needs to heal, 2) skills that need time to develop and 3) no ability to contribute due to other players ( ie all upperclassmen and skilled lineup ) . Hulls would not fit any of these.

Definitely no on Roth. You would then have a seven man class graduating in 2013.

Kelin Blab

I'm not sure why we would redshirt bawa at this point. He can't be as raw as Tijan and we have begged for big bodies….plus the guy is a freakin' model!

GFDave

I can see redshirting Bawa. He's played for a very short period of time and really doesn't know anything. Given a year just to practice he later could provide 2 or 3 years of production. Without the redshirt I don't see much from him before sometime his junior year. I could be wrong. Its happened before.

IU big time

The thing coming out of Bloomington about this kid is that he is doing well in preseason. Coming in first in all of the running catagories………….by a long shot. Gained 15 pounds, and gaining lots of strength to go along with his high basketball IQ. Shooting the ball extremely well and was even quoted as the most impressive player at the Elite Camp. Not sure why people think he won’t be on the court. Crean doesn’t use a point guard per say………….3 guard offense. Rivers and Hulls will be on the court at the same time…………..no question about it. Hulls is more of a scorer than Rivers and they complement each other. Verdell is no point guard and Dumes is not either. Verdell had to play out of position last year because of necessity.

iumarine

Hulls reminds me of some of those scrappy players we passed on in the past that went to Butler and elevated them into the top 25/NCAA tournament.

Go Hulls!

q95

looking forward to seeing hulls in an iu uniform, however his size concerns me a little.

Hulls can't be redshirted, period. Without him, IU's options at pt guard are a guy who lead them to having the 3rd worst turnover % in the nation (VJIII) or a guy who will be playing his first year with the team (Rivers). Right now, depth is more important than anything.

However, I'm really not sold on Hulls being a Big 10 pt guard. The height doesn't bother me, but I'd be worried about the more physical B10 guards pushing him around. Look at Lewis Jackson at Purdue last year; smaller than Hulls but stronger and faster and it took him a long time to adjust and be productive. IU will get better athletes every year, so play Hulls now because he's needed and he may be sitting on the bench in a year or two.

CreamandCrimson

I love Jordan Hulls. I saw him play several games in high school and a few on the AAU circuit. He doesn't have any skills that completely blow you away but all phases of his game are solid. He definitely needed to get stronger but most freshman have that problem. He will be a very steady contributor on this team for four years. It was his dream to play for IU and I think that is always a plus. I don't understand all of the redshirt talk. Hulls is one of two options we have at the point. VJIII is much better off the ball. This is not an opinion, the stats back it up. If we redshirt Hulls, Rivers would need to play at least 30 minutes a game at point guard while guarding the opposing teams best perimeter player. When he went out, either VJIII or Moore would play point. Hulls is needed on this squad for this season. His effort will have the fans chanting his name.

MillaRed

Bawa can run, Tijan can't. This guy can run with the smaller guys and has such a great attitude. I think Crean maximizes the potential and it pays huge dividends in years 3-4.

Why did we get Tijan again? Really a head scratcher.

MillaRed

So did Scott Skiles, Damon Bailey, Bobby Hurley, Steve Alford…..

iu big time

Michael, you don't know what you are talking about. Hulls will just get bigger and better every year. Any freshman that comes in behind Hulls will have to be extremely good, smart to beat him out. No question

iu big time

Michael, you don't know what you are talking about. Hulls will just get bigger and better every year. Any freshman that comes in behind Hulls will have to be extremely good, smart to beat him out. No question